Dear Mr. Golledge and Mr. Grabauskas:
Thank you for coming to Somerville last night to take public comments on your "substitution" process.
It was suggested to me that since my testimony was so heavily quantitative, it would be best memorialized in writing. I am summarizing my testimony here, in order that you may have the relevant numbers before you. All data are from the Somerville Assessor's Office.
Others have spoken eloquently about, and quantified, air pollution driven morbidity and early mortality in Somerville, and the economic, social, and human costs of this burden on our public health.
One point I wish to make is that Somerville's position as a regional transportation corridor underserved by mass transit also has a tremendous negative fiscal impact for our city.
Somerville's substantial population (officially about 78,000) is crowded into 4.2 miles, or 2,700 acres of land. Almost 40% of that land - 1,065 acres - is tax exempt. Land owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (80.9 acres) and the MBTA (67 acres) comprise over five and a half per cent of all land in the city (147.9 acres). The estimated total operating costs to the city associated with this land for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 were $9,112,710.
Based on the estimated FY 2006 tax levy, this land represents $7,048,343 in lost tax revenues (I divided the estimated FY 2006 tax levy ($77,917,799) by the total taxable acres of land in the city (1,635), since this is the land area from which the levy must now be raised). Adding lost revenues and city costs reveals a total negative fiscal impact of approximately $16,161,053 for calendar year 2005. A close approximation of this loss repeats annually, of course.
This negative tax impact - operation and maintenance costs unsupported by any revenues - amounts this year to 9.7% of Somerville's budget of $166,358,777 (FY '05).
Another overlooked burden to Somerville is its service to the region as a transportation corridor for motor vehicles. Other testimony has focused on the number of vehicles traveling through the city, and the resultant levels of noxious emission gasses and particulates. I want to stress that over 22% of Somerville's land (605.7 acres) is dedicated to streets and roadways, which are used by the entire traveling public in the state. This portion of Somerville's contribution to the region's transportation infrastructure costs the city approximately $37,319,599 in annual maintenance (FY '05), and $28,865,327 in lost tax revenues, for a total annual negative fiscal impact of $66,184,926.
The cumulative effect of having such a high proportion of its land - almost 27.5%, or close to a third - owned by the state and MBTA, or dedicated as roadways, is staggering. The total annual maintenance costs to the city are $46,432,309, or 27.9% of the FY 2005 budget. The total lost revenues amount to $35,913,670, and the total negative fiscal impact (based on the FY '05 budget) is equivalent to $82,345,979.
Another detriment to Somerville directly related to the paucity of transit service is the stunting of its commercial development. Of the barely over 60% of the city's land that is taxable, 45.96% of that land is residentially developed and a mere 14.6% is devoted to commercial or industrial use. As others have testified, the lack of mass transit alternatives to driving and parking in Somerville's crowded streets puts our commercial real estate at a competitive disadvantage to many other locations, and keeps many Somerville businesses marginal, unable to grow, or reduces them to failure.
Our entire community rightfully views light rail service as key to Somerville's ability to achieve success in its development. Just as the Red Line Station in Davis Square brought life to its part of the city, so could the Green Line Extension bring life to the breadth and heart of Somerville.
Thank you for your time and attention. I'm confident that you will consider this information in your decision-making process.
Sincerely yours,